Prussia's Paper Cranes
by PeaceLoveClarinets
Summary: Gilbert has always feared being forgotten. When he hears of a way to wish that fear away in the form of an old japanese legend, he takes the opportunity. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

A/n:: I had the idea for this in church today while my sister was making paper cranes. this came to me and I had to write it. Enjoy!

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><p>Prussia's Paper Cranes<p>

Being forgotten. That's my greatest fear. Ever since my existence on the map disappeared, this has always bothered me. How could a country so awesome die?

During World War Two, a small man named Kiku often visited my bruder. I was over a lot to drink his beer. Kiku was reserved and he always answered with no. Bruder took an interest in him along with Feliciano. They became the Axis.

I was never in alliances after my existence on the map stopped. West was Germany as a whole and I was nothing more than the one that never left. I was hanging on. I made sure that no one forgot me. I hung on to life for life. Like I said, I'm too awesome to be forgotten.

I remember one instance where Kiku told the other two about a folk tale from his country. It was about making a thousand paper cranes and receiving a wish. I missed bits and pieces of the story, but, if you make a thousand paper cranes you get a wish. People do it when they're terminally ill or something.

West didn't look very intrigued, but I was. I chugged the beer that was in my glass and went to the library in Roderick's house. He has so many books that it's not funny. I hadn't really been in libraries, so I didn't know where to start.

A lot of the books were music theory and history on Europe. One book was awesome enough to be dedicated to me. It made me smile. A few thoughts crossed my mind I looked at book after book. What if I couldn't get my wish? Is the threat of your existence considered terminally ill? I thought it was.

I found a book that had what I wanted in it. It was an origami book. I flipped through the pages, trying to find something on making cranes.

"What are you doing in my house?" I looked at the angry Austrian walking towards me. He was fuming.

"I'm looking at a book, what does it look like?" I retorted back. I set my red eyes back on the page, looking at the pictures intently. Personally, the journals of my life are more interesting to look at.

"You don't just break into someone's house for a book!" Roderick crossed his arms over his chest. I looked across the room at the window I had broken to get in. A red flush invaded my cheeks.

"Kesese. Too cheap for a new window, ja?" I smirked.

"Do you even know how hard it is to come by glass in this wa-" He stopped talking and looked down. Of course I wouldn't know how hard it to come by things in this war. I wasn't even really a part of it. I played with the cross around my neck.

"I'll just be taking this book now. I'll fix your damned window another day, cheap ass." I gave a final wave before slipping out of the window I had entered in. I held the book to my chest as I ran into the woods. It felt good to hold it. It was like holding solid hope.

I slipped down the trunk of an old tree and pulled a small square of paper from my pocket. I focused on the steps and messed up quite a few times, but awesomeness prevailed and I held a small paper crane in my hand. It reminded me of Gilbert, who was now making a racket.

"Shh. You'll disturb the whole forest!" I hissed at my awesome little bird. He was finally quiet and I continued to make more cranes, using all the paper squares I had gathered. I had six of them sitting on my lap, each one looking better than the one before it. I smiled and gathered my things. I could do this. I could make a thousand paper cranes and save myself.

Walking into my own house, I remember, was dark at the time. The sun had set by the time I had gotten home and I lit a few candles. I wasn't really into electricity at the time. I searched my house for scraps of paper. I used old newspapers that didn't commemorate anything important and knocked out a good sixty seven that night. I passed out on my couch, surrounded by the small paper birds.

The next few weeks were a blur as I hung up the cranes and made more. My home was an awesome crane wonderland. I wasn't high, so don't think that I did that obsessively because I was on a drug rush. I was on an awesome rush. I really wanted my wish.

One day, West walked into my house. I was lounging on my couch that was facing the front door with my boots propped up on the coffee table. I laughed at his wondering, yet slightly scared expression.

"Uhh… Bruder? Are you okay?" He asked me. His icy blue eyes were fixed on me. I threw my head back and laughed as I got up. I lazily flung an arm around my little bruder's shoulders and used my free hand that was holding my beer mug to do a casual sweep of the room.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" I asked, smiling.

"No. It looks like an insane asylum here." West said. The bluntness of his words hurt a little.

"I'm not fucking crazy!" I hit him on the back of the head and backed off of him. "I'm making paper cranes to get my wish. Duh."

West gave a critical look around the room. He frowned slightly, but I kept my proud, overly confident pose. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm going to leave now and act like nothing has ever happened here. You got that?" He said. His gaze was sad. He looked at me like I was less awesome than I was. I belched and shooed him out. Gilbird had fluttered onto my shoulder and chirped, annoyed.

"I know little awesomeness. Little bruder just doesn't understand."

Later that month I had received a letter.

_Dear Mr. Gilbert,_

_Ludwig had informed the Axis that you were constructing a thousand paper cranes. I wish you luck in your journey._

_Sincerely,_

_Honda, Kiku_

I read over the letter a few times. It felt good to get some mail. It felt good to be remembered. I folded the letter and attached it into one of my journals of awesome. I was almost there. Only 50 more to go. The wait became almost unbearable.

I remember all the paper cuts I had received, each one meant I was getting closer to not being forgotten. Soon I will have that wish.

Eventually, I did make all one thousand cranes. When I did, I got on my knees.

"If this really works, I would really like to never be forgotten!" I screamed at the ceiling. A white flash illuminated the house and I stood up. I knew that as long as someone remembered the almighty Prussia, I will never truly die.


End file.
